About the Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA)

State Testing Information for Nebraska

Portions of the following material were taken from the Nebraska Department of Education website. Please see our links and source sections at the bottom of the page for more details and references.

General Description of the Tests

Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA)

• Grades: 3-8, 11
• Subjects: Reading, Mathematics

School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS)

• Subjects: Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, History
• Measures state-approved standards
• Meets rigorous technical requirements
• Administered locally
• Assesses at point of instruction
• Engages teachers in local collaboration
• Connects Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
• Generates data for school improvement
• Provides a focus on both learning and accountability

Statewide Writing Assessment

• Grades: 4, 8, 11
• The Statewide Writing Assessment is intended to:

- Inform policy makers and stake holders about the writing achievement of Nebraska students
- Gather information to assist teachers in determining the progress of students in meeting state standards for writing
- Provide each local school district with a report of student progress in meeting state standards for writing
- Lead to improved writing by Nebraska students

• Align closely with classroom instructional practices so that the assessment is conducted as a regular classroom activity rather than as an unrelated “add on” to the instructional program
• Support and model effective practices for assessing student writing
• Be conducted in a consistent manner in each school district using the same procedures
• Provide for scoring at two levels – statewide and by an external agency

Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA) Alternate Standards and Assessments

• For Students with disabilities
• Subjects: Reading/Writing, Math, Science, Social Science

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

• Grades: 4, 8, 12
• Subjects: Mathematics, Reading, Science, Writing, Arts, Civics, Economics, Geography, U.S. History
• The only nationally representative assessment of what America’s students know and can do in core subjects
• Does not provide scores for individual students or schools; instead, it offers results regarding subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences, and school environment for populations of students (e.g., fourth-graders) and groups within those populations (e.g., female students, Hispanic students)

Our curriculum is focused around actual material that a student is likely to see on the upcoming Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA) test. Nationally known for delivering high quality and affordable materials that help students improve their scores, we provide you both paper-based instruction and easy to use online test preparation.